The Trump administration on Tuesday unveiled 36 sanctions targeting Iranian-linked airlines and foreign firms tied to the country’s aviation sector, marking its latest effort to topple Iran through “economic D-Day.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines and nine other entities or companies across the world that the United States believes Iran is using to obtain material support to prop up its government. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned several firms based in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates for helping Iran’s Mahan Air secure at least three Boeing B-777 aircraft this summer that had been retired elsewhere. It also sanctioned a Malaysian-based firm that serviced Mahan Air’s international flights and coordinated cargo shipments, among other actions.
“We promised severe consequences for those providing financial lifelines to the Iranian regime,” Bessent said in a statement. “Today, we followed through on that promise with sanctions on companies that continue to support Mahan Air. Let this be a warning to anyone doing business with Iran’s remaining airlines, all of which we sanctioned today: You are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system.”
President Donald Trump announced the “economic D-Day” campaign targeting Iran on Aug. 19, as the war neared the six-month mark with no clear resolution in sight. Bessent began rolling out the initiative at the Treasury Department on Aug. 24, announcing new secondary sanctions on third-party nations and foreign actors that he said are allowing Iran to exploit “digital assets, technology, gold, aviation, and shipping.”
As part of “Operation Economic Outcast,” Bessent designated nearly 60 individuals, entities, and vessels accused of helping Iran evade previously existing sanctions, affecting business leaders and firms operating out of China, the UAE, Singapore, Turkey, and Greece. At the time, officials warned the U.S. had “mapped Iran’s oil-smuggling and sanctions-evasion network” to ensure the new sanctions are as effective as possible.
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Earlier this month, Vice President JD Vance expressed hope that the pressure campaign is working on China, telling reporters, “the Chinese have been responsive to some of the requests that we’ve made” to end any support to Iranian-linked infrastructure.
“Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop NOW,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “You know who you are. These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide. IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.”